Curreri College Counseling

Alex Angarita, Esq.
U.C. Irvine, B.A., Harvard Law School, J.D.
Chief Executive Officer
alex.angarita@eventusacademic.com

Alex Angarita is cofounder and C.E.O. of Eventus Academic Consultants, LLC. He specializes in preparing students for graduate school through test preparation and admissions counseling. He has worked extensively with clients preparing them for the SAT, LSAT, GMAT and GRE and has successfully helped his clients gain acceptance to the most competitive schools in the country.

Alex knows what it takes to get into a top graduate program firsthand. While at U.C. Irvine, Alex juggled a full pre-med course load, became a certified E.M.T., conducted research in quantum mechanics, participated in volunteer work, was an active member in the Greek system and financed his entire undergraduate education by teaching test preparation courses and tutoring nearly full time. Upon graduating from U.C. Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Minor in Psychology, he served as an operations director for a national test preparation company, creating test preparation material and training other instructors while continuing to teach graduate school courses and seminars. He then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he received his Juris Doctor Degree from Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was a member of the Harvard Boxing Club.

Upon graduating from law school, Alex worked as a corporate attorney for one of the largest law firms in Los Angeles, where he represented companies in mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing and various large-scale transactions.

Alex left the law after an injury from a car accident prompted him to reconsider his career path as an attorney. Always the adventurer, Alex's time off included a mountaineering expedition to the summit of Mt. Whitney and participating as a contestant on the CBS television show, Survivor: Fiji. Alex came close to becoming sole survivor, being eliminated 33 days into the 39-day competition. After surviving in the jungles of Fiji, Alex collaborated with other top professionals to found EAC, providing admissions services to college and graduate school applicants.

Alex continues his commitment to education in underprivileged communities and now serves as a board member of Scholarships for Scholars, a charity organization providing scholarships to underprivileged students. Alex also works with various other charitable organizations and often speaks at schools on admissions and standardized test preparation. He uses his personal story as an example to motivate students to obtain a higher education.

Alex enjoys being active and participates in triathlons, trains in Jeet Kune Do, Silat and Eskrima martial arts, and is an avid rock climber and yoga practitioner. He is a member of the American Bar Association.

Sandy King
University of Southern California, B.S.
Senior Vice President
Marketing & Business Development

Sandy brings her extensive and unique international marketing background to Curreri College Counseling. A graduate of the University of Southern California (BS/Kinesiology), her celebrated tenure with Honda France spanned 8 years and encompassed her early years working closely with world class professional athletes to her celebrated successes brand marketing and promoting the international brand throughout Europe and Asia including world class events such as the 24 hours of Le Mans. She successfully directed the West Coast College Marketing campaigns at CBS Records (Columbia, Epic, Chrysalis, and Def Jam) and was responsible for developing key joint cross marketing promotions of target age specific recording artists with outside industry sectors to the college market demographic. She was actively involved with the sales campaigns in support of Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and The Beastie Boys.

Sandy is fluent in conversational Mandarin Chinese and she is fluent in French in both language and written form. Her easy going nature, quick thinking ability and excellent communication skills make her an instant favorite with students and their families. Her expertise in quickly accessing a student's key qualities and developing a high impact yet effective marketing plan is unparallel. We welcome her broad marketing knowledge base, global perspective and international experience.

Sandy enjoys living on the beach in Southern California with her Gordon Setter, Clarence and she is a serious competitor in beach volleyball. She is passionately involved with SurfAid International: a non-profit organization dedicated to the alleviation of human suffering through community-based health programs throughout the world.

Erik Vendt
2008: Beijing, China - Gold, 4 x 200 FR Relay
2004: Athens, Greece - Silver, 400m IM; 16, 1500m FR
2000: Sydney, Australia - Silver, 400m IM; 6, 1500m
www.erikvendt.com
Athletes Biography

Curreri College Counseling is proud to welcome 3 time Olympian, Team USA swimmer, Erik Vendt to our staff as the Director of Athletic Guidance. We are thrilled and honored to have Erik, an elite level international athlete, as part of our comprehensive educational guidance team. Erik will bring his extensive international experience in the complex field of competitive athletics to Curreri College Counseling families and athletes.

During his successful college career as a member of the USC Mens Swimming Team, Erik earned 7 National titles and 5 NCAA Championships under the coaching of Mark Schubert (Team USA Swimming). Erik has competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2004 Athens and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. During his impressive Olympic career, Erik has won 3 medals for the USA including a Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay: Erik Vendt, Michael Phelps, Klete Keller, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, Peter Vanderkaay, David Walters). He is the first American to break the 15-minute barrier in the 1500m freestyle and believes the 1500m is about "guts, endurance, and heart."

"I remember something important from every coach who has taught me, from their philosophies on swimming and work ethic to lessons in life," Vendt says. "(My club coach) told me one day, 'Don't let anyone ever put out that flame inside your belly.' That was important advice for where I was then at age 14."

Erik currently trains with Club Wolverine under Coach Bob Bowman alongside teammate Michael Phelps. Erik has a BS in International Relations from USC in 2005.

Lisa Flores Mauricio

Lisa Flores Mauricio is passionate about helping each client find the best college match possible. The best match is where students can fully realize their individual potential, grow as young adults and be prepared to pursue the career path of their dreams.

Lisa is a former high school college counselor and AP English teacher. While working at the high school level, Lisa prepared college tours for students to different parts of the country, including, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Atlanta, Washington DC and Baltimore. As an educational consultant, Lisa is committed to meeting each individual's needs and working with students and their families, as a team, to meet their goals.

Lisa has worked extensively with Latino and African American students who are the first in their families to attend college. Having been a first generation college student, she is uniquely equipped to work with students in the same situation. She has worked with Green Dot Public Schools, the leading charter management organization in Los Angeles where she helped increase high school graduation and college acceptance rates for Latino and African American students. She is committed to helping all students find the best college fit. She is also bilingual in Spanish. Lisa believes in educating students and parents about the college application and selection process as well as financial aid options available.

Lisa received master's degrees in Counseling and Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University. Lisa also possesses California Credentials in Pupil Personnel Services and English. She earned a bachelor of arts in English at the University of California, Irvine.

Brittany White

Brittany White has a Master of Science Degree in Counseling from the Johns Hopkins University. She is a certified K-12 school counselor and has experience in both middle and upper school counseling. She is also a former All-American swimmer, who qualified for Olympic Trials in 1996. Brittany also finished third in the 400M IM at NCAA's in 1998, representing the University of Southern California. In addition, she placed top three at Pac-10's in the 200 and 400M IM and the 200M Breaststroke. Brittany also swam for the University of Miami, where she placed top three in the 200 and 400M IM for three consecutive years. Brittany was awarded the Bachelor of Science Degree in Communications from the University of Miami. She combined her academic and athletic talent to land a job as a Sports Marketing Consultant for Under Armour where she worked for two years before beginning her graduate school work.

Brittany was Karen Curreri's first ever Curreri College Counseling student. She has mentored and trained under Karen's personal direction and supervision and has assisted at summer One Stop College Shop application bootcamps. Brittany is currently the Director of Curreri College Counseling's Baltimore-Washington office.

In her spare time Brittany practices yoga and meditation and enjoys reading.

Steven Wolkoff

Steven Wolkoff graduated from Dartmouth College with an honors English major. In the past eight years, he has tutored over 400 students in SAT prep, Math, English, Writing, and a variety of subjects. He has worked with students from many Los Angeles schools, including: Harvard-Westlake, Crossroads, Windward, Santa Monica High School, Wildwood, and Archer. In addition, Steven has tutored students in Hong Kong and Beijing, and has taught at SAT camps at UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCLA, and USD.

In addition to tutoring, Steven works as a writer and artist. He recently finished writing his first novel. His paintings have shown in galleries in Los Angeles, New York, and Beijing, and have been chosen for shows by curators LACMA, MOCA, and the Hammer Museum.